Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Making fresh cheese is on my list of things to try. I found a simple recipe for ricotta (and I

With that ricotta, make ravioli without a pasta machine or ravioli mold. It's really cheap and easy to make the sauce, the filling and the pasta, but it'll take all day.

I vote for running away with the rodeo. I have been researching rodeo schools for a few weeks; bull riding sure looks like a lot of fun.

Making ravioli! I love coming up with fun fillings. Plus they freeze well and you'll have a practically instant meal later on. I buy premade pasta sheets since I don't have a pasta maker and there is a great local place that makes it. You can flavor the pasta (lemon and pepper is awesome) to go with the fillings.

Make stock and freeze....tastes better than canned, and you can control the salt and ingredients.

how about cooking your way around the world??

the other day I made a series in my blog celebrating Spanish recipes. I also have a bunch of Puerto Rican and Cuban-inspired recipes, due to my background.

you could every weekend for the next few weekends pick a place and celebrate your favorite cuisine... chinese, greek, italian, argentinian, canadian, french, indian, middle eastern, etc. you pick what you like, you pick how many weekends...

I think it'll get your mind off the not-so-positives and focus on the possibilities...

good luck and happy travels thru food.

One word: Tamales.

You'll be cooking for the next 2 days straight if you start from scratch.

Bread, if that's not already in your repertoire. There's so much to learn, it's so satisfying, it's cheap, and it will save even more money if you bake regularly. And if you do already bake bread, buy "The Bread Baker's Apprentice" and try out pain ancien or the foccaccia recipes.

yeah db you already make cheeses and bread and vinegar and such, what else have you not tried?

pasta/noodles/potsticker skin from scratch would be fun... similar to @gingercookie's ravioli comment.
potstickers make me happy, and they are cheap to make. perhaps you could make stuffed dough dishes around the world!

Make homemade sausages, bacon and smoke them.

Volunteering wouldn't be a bad idea, but there's no shelter close by and my schedule is a little hit-and-miss, so I couldn't really commit to anything on a regular basis, particularly if I had t add in travel time. It would be nice if I could cook at home and take it somewhere, but most organization now won't take food unless it's prepared in a commercial kitchen. Of course, DHs coworkers will happily eat any treats I send that way, but it's not exactly a charity group.

Cooking through a bread book might be fun. I mean, I usually make bread a couple times a week, but often it's recipeless, just making whatever the whims of the moment are. Actually working my way through a book could be interesting, because I'd be making things that I might not ordinarily choose. And of all the things I make, bread somehow makes me relaxed and happy while I'm making it. I enjoy other cooking, but bread is a whole other thing.

So maybe that's it. But keep the ideas coming...because that rodeo will be in town soon, and they might need an extra clown.

dbcurrie, wasn't your husband in the hospital a couple of weeks ago? How are both of you doing?

I think a lot of these sound interesting -- including running away with the rodeo. But how about trying something foodwise that benefits others -- like volunteering to help cook for a soup kitchen? It will serve several purposes and help put your week in perspective.

I am hoping that after you cook all of these wonderful ideas that we can all come over to eat it! I am in a cooking slump (getting hot where I live), but this kicked up my appetite. I think some of these folks could lift your spirits with their sense of humor.

I like the ravioli idea @gingercookiewithlime. I like to make my own pasta, but either way you will have something that you can easily pull out of the freezer on chaotic nights.

Along the same lines,you could make wonton soup. You should make your own stock as @erinlovestoeat mentions. I spent a snowy afternoon in Feb. finely chopping my ingredients and putting the mixture to the wonton wrappers and freezing them. In this case I bought the wrappers since they have to be very thin and precisely cut. I can't remember how many I made-probably over 100-but I just finished up the last batch at a dinner party here. It was very satisfying and soothing making them and I got a boost when I served them.

There has been studies that show when we do for others that a chemical reaction occurs that increases our seratonin levels and we feel much better. @savecara has got a good idea if you can spare the time.

Also remember that nothing seems as good or as bad as it does at that moment. I think most of these fine people who grace this community would agree. Hang in there.

@db if you are interested in volunteering and your schedule is the only thing holding you back, go to http://www.handsonnetwork.org/. Hands-On Network connects people with volunteer opportunities. They have affiliates all over the country, and most of them have food related projects. Most projects are only 2-3 hours once a month and there is no committment, so you can volunteer on your own terms.

Do you like flatbreads? I make my own every weekend, enough to carry me through the week. They are pretty easy and fun and healthy. I use Trader Joe's White Whole Wheat flour. There are variations I'm planning to try.

@db, good for you. Sometimes I get so far gone, it's hard to recognize and pull myself back.

How about a jam fest? Listen to jam bands and come up with exciting flavors of jam to make and can. Strawberry jalapeno is one of my favorites.

Pickling is the answer, fun, creative, pleasing to the eye and no special equipment needed.

@dbcurrie--to be 100% honest, I was a bit perplexed why everyone said that you should volunteer. When my mother passed away from lung cancer, and when I had to nurse my dog back from a dog attack, after I was over those tragedies, volunteering was the last thing I needed to do. I know it sounds selfish, but I really needed to get in touch with myself again. It's funny when women have to bear the brunt of suffering, the first thing that people suggest to them is to do more caretaking! That same suggestion was given to me, and you responded more graciously than I did. I think I said something like %$#%@# if memory serves correctly.

I do think that taking time to get creative in the kitchen is a great way to heal. I assume some of the mondo bills come from the vet, since animals have no employer-derived health insurance, although human care ain't as cheap as it should be either. Making bread is very cheap, though, and I bet you'll have a lot of fun doing it. Just do what you really, really enjoy. Although I still think that Black Forest cake, given the season should figure in somewhere, but that is my bias. Perhaps chocolate bread with dried cherries? ;) I hope your husband is better and your other dog too, since I know that loss can be hard for animals as well, in their own way.

omg this bear bread is also freaking cute!

http://yaplog.jp/kokkomamanopan/category_23/

@Heart, I think people mention volunteering because it is a good way to get over depression or get yourself out of a good pity party because seeing people who are worse off can shake you out of being so sorry for yourself. And it can be a boost to self esteem because you end up feeling appreciated. And making other people feel happy can lift your own spirits. But it's not the answer every time, for everybody, for sure. And it depends on the volunteer work, too. I'm not cut out to be the next Mother Teresa, by any means.

Hehe, I have a hard time picturing you responding like that, though...you seem so nice all the time, even when your family is being jerky to you.

To be honest, after a month of crisis, my house is a mess, my fridge needs to be cleaned, I need to pick up some more work to pay for the time I had to take off, and I need to catch up on everything else that hasn't gotten done around here. So I need a project or two that can fit into the schedule, but I also need to get everything else back to normal at the same time.

Needless to say, I know that I need some "me" time, but I don't want to wallow in a hole watching tearjerker movies and eating truffles. Cooking is one way to keep me moving and thinking and happy while at the same time it's still a "giving" activity, since I still need to feed DH some healthy meals.

Anyway, I'm feeling better just thinking about all these ideas. Most of 'em are already on the radar, but it's good to start thinking about getting back to doing all of them again.

I wrote somewhere once that chefs (and all cooks) are givers by nature. They could obviously cook just for their own enjoyment but no one stands over a restaurant stove busting their butt for the thrill alone. The payoff is in doing something well and sharing it with others. There is no more basic instinct than to feed. The female body is designed to give nourishment to others and Jung would tell us that we all (men and women alike) have that feminine spirit in us that provides the drive to nurture and care. It is ironic that the cure for too much giving is a little more giving but you seem to know already, instinctively, that there is a difference in giving to meet a need and giving out of the desire to share. It probably doesn't matter what project you choose as much as the fact that you are engaging in the simple act of mindful giving. I hope you find what you need this weekend.

Love those breads. The Japanese have "cute" cornered~!

If you want to know what the text is about, use babelfish. here is an example: "[korune] type is made. Diameter approximately 2cm. * The [tsu] it did and the type [re] of [korune] of the [yo] did and 2 made with the △ of [pi] 1 responsibility. (The photograph right: The [tsu] it does, the [yo] type left: It is the small type which this time was used. )"

Babelfish is funny as hell.

@dbcurrie --sorry to hear about your dog. It's heartbreaking when you lose a pet. You definitely need to indulge yourself. I think a cook the book project would be a lot of fun. For a different kind of cook the book, what about cooking from The Book Lover's Cookbook, or The Philosopher's Kitchen or Shakespeare's Kitchen for cooking and snippets of literature. Cooking and reading are my two favorite ways to relax, unplug and escape.

I too just want to add my condolences into the mix, losing a pet is disgustingly hard. If I was anywhere near you I'd offer to come help clean, I'm a rock star at it. If I were you I too would lean towards baking or canning, but preserving summer bounty is high on my list now, especially since we had a crap start to the summer. Best wishes!

@Trilby, I supected that some of the captions for those photos really said, "If you mess up, it looks more like an annoyed alien than a panda." You have to wonder how many times they sliced the "good" bread to get the one slice that looked cutest. Bread doesn't always rise predictably, and particularly when you've got different types of ingredients, which makes it even more complicated.

But I might give it a try and see what happens. Maybe not a panda, though. Maybe something easier.

@All, thanks for the good wishes. It's hard to lose a pet, particularly since I work from home and they keep me company all day. But she lived a good, long, happy life and she didn't suffer at the end. It's about all anyone can ask for, I guess.

DH's checkup went well, so that was the first bit of good news. Tomorrow, his company is having a hands-on meeting, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it's just a "State of the Company" address rather than something more ominous. If we get past that, I'll start breathing normally again.

Anyway, I think my project might be trip through a baking book of some sort. I just need to go through the books I have and pick a likely subject. It's probably the cheapest thing to make, and baked goods are easy enough to give away if it's more than we want or need (or like).

I'll probably still do canning, freezing, pickling and stocking up. It's hard to get me out of the kitchen most of the time. But a focused project like a new bread/baked good a week gives me something concrete to look forward to and to plan for. And right now, I think that's a good idea.

We lost a toddler granddaughter in a terrible accident two years ago. The depression was overwhelming but two things kept me alive to this point where I now think I may actually be happy again most of the time. I spent a lot of time in the gym and a lot of time in the kitchen. I had to go to the gym for lots of reasons not the least of which was that I was cooking nonstop. I think that your choosing a cooking project and that your connection to this site gives you such wonderful feedback shows that you are emotionally in touch with what you need. I am so sorry about your dog!

Canning would give me an anxiety attack--my mother canned everything when I was growing up, from jams and jellies to NY clam chowder and half chickens with okra in quart-sized jars to home-made spaghetti sauce.. Even she made me nervous with that boiling water and stuff. Ditto pressure cookers. THAT'S NOT COOKING THAT'S A CHEMISTRY EXPERIMENT. Cooking should be relaxing.

If you want a challenge try making your own strudel dough and stretch it out on a clean tablecloth without any holes in the dough--I wanted to out-do my Hungarian mother-in-law way back (now I AM a mother-in-law) and it was disastrous. That is a culinary feat.

However, I did end up making Chicken Paprikas and Hungarian Stuffed Cabbage that my husband said was better than his mother's.

I agree with your reaction against volunteering--women are always being given that kind of advice. I like the idea of making a bunch of home-made "TV Dinners"--buy the sectional metal foil pans, and see what you come up with. Will give you a lift everytime y ou come home tired and realize you have a GOOD ready-made dinner.

Or you can do the project I want to spend a day on sometime--creating a little "go with coffee" treat comparable to, say, Dunkn Donuts Sticks--was the only good thing they had and now they don't make them anymore. Used to buy one about 5 inches long and divide into five and freeze. It tasted like the nutmeg flavored crullers my mother used to make. Is there anyway one could achieve that taste and crunch but eliminate the French frying? I'm thinking to do the dough, and t hen spray pan and individual little clumps of it with butter, and bake instead of fry. Would that work? I want something like a churro(sp?) they have in Spain to go with hot chocolate.
aurora89

My daughter, or one of my daughters lives in Thousand Oaks, Ca. and she has hooked up with a group that feed the homeless. She cooks on a weekend once a month for 45 to 50 people. We were out there about a year ago and helped her. She went to all the grocery stores and told them what she was doing and they all contributed, went to her denist and got 75 - 100 samples of tooth brushes, toothpaste and other goodies for nothing. We got up at 5;00 and fried chicken made cole slaw and pasta salad and had a ball. I wish we lived closer so we could help more! This is a project that will get your mind on other things! Good luck!